Piston water meter



(NoMoael.)

F. W. DICK.v

- EISTON WATER METER. l No. 382,145. Patented Ma.y`1`,'1888.

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i l UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKW. DICK, on GLASGOW, COUNTY or LANARK, SCOTLAND.V

PISTONgwATee-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 382,145, dated May 1,1888. Application filed October 19, 1887. Serial No. 252,805. (Nomodel.) Patented in England October 9, 1S86,No.12,859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WESLEY DICK, a Subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of Glasgow, in the county of Lanark,Scotland, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus UsableasaMeter or Motor, (for which a British patent has been applied for, tobe dated October 9, 1886, No. 12859,) of which the following is aspecification.

My said invention has for its object to improve the construction ofapparatus usable as a meter or motor, to simplify the valve details ofsuch apparatus, and to render the apparatus certain and accurateinaction.

An example of my improved apparatus arranged as a water-meter is shownon an acco1npanying sheet of explanatory drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a verti-V cal Section; Fig. 3, ahorizontal section; Fig. 4, a plan of the valve; Fig. 5, aplan of aframe for guiding the valve; Fig.v6, a plan of the piece in lwhich theport-face. and ports are formed 5 Fig. 7, a horizontal sect-ion of themiddle ofthe meter as with the part shown in Fig. 6 removed, and Fig. 8a plan showing the `device for acting on the counting nicchanism.

In the drawings the Same reference-numerals are used to mark the same orlike paris Whereever they are repeated.

In carrying out myinvention I employ four single-acting cylinders, 11 1213 14, placed with their axes radiating from a center. Thesecylinders-A-which, for convenience, are iitted with inner or liningshells having pistons 15 Working in thenr-have their outer ends closedby covers 16, while their inner ends are Open to the central part of acasting in which they are formed. The pistons 15 are connected in pairsby diametrically-placed plates 17, serving as pistonrods, which are iiatat the parts that pass each other and serve mutually along with otherguiding parts to support each other and prevent the pistons 15 fromturning. The Water has access by the inlet-pipe 18 and port 19 to thecentral part of the casing and proceeds to the cylinder ends by passages20, having ports 2l in a portface formed on a piece, 22, (shownseparately in Fig. 6,) the port-face being parallel to the planecontaining the axes of the cylinders, while the Water leaves the meterby an exhaustport, 23, in the center of the port-face. y There is asingle valve, 24,. for all the cylinders, and this valve is of a squareform inthe modilication shown in the drawings. An important peculiarityof the valve l is that it always exposes two of the four ports andiilways covers the other two. The valve 24 is moved by the piston-rodplates 17, which are formed With rectangular Openings, Within which thevalve is placed;` the openings being longer and broader than the valve.The breadth of each opening in plate 17 exceeds that of the valve by theextent of stroke intended to be given to the valve, While the lengthexceeds the breadth of the valve by the length of stroke of the pistonsless the stroke of the valve. The valve 24 is consequently moved whenthe outward stroke of 7o each piston is being completed, its centerbeing moved in succession along the sides 'of a square; or, in otherwords, it travels in a rectangular path, and it may consequently betermed a four-motion valve. The valve 21 is prevented from turning byaframe or bridle, 25, Fig. 5, which fits two of' its sides, this bridle25 being itself guided between guideflanges 26, formed on the port-facepiece 22. The bridle 25 can move in one direction between the guides 26,but cannot turn, while the valve 24 can move in a direction at rightangles to that of the bridles motion, but cannot turn; and, further, toprevent displacement of the valve 24, it is provided with a central pinon its upper side, and a pin or spin- Idie, 27, projects downward, so asto prevent the valve from getting into a central position. With thisarrangement of the valve 21 and of the parts acting on it it can neverbe left in a positionin which it Will prevent the restarting of themeter, as the movements which each pair of pistons imparts to the Valvedo not close or open the passages of the cylinders of that pair ofpistons. Should the Water be shut oft when a valve movement is onlypartly effected, then on the Water being let on again the pistons thatwere moving the valve must go to the end of their stroke and completethe valves movement.

The valve may be of a circular form, but Will in that case requirel tobe larger foxl the same area of port. The valve, if circular, may beleft free to turn on its center, so that it wi ll IOO 2 seams becontinually changing its contacts with the port-face and willconsequently tend to Wear truer rather than the reverse. y

The movements of the pistons are made to act on the counting mechanism28, which may be of any convenient kind, through the spindle 27, whichhas fixed on it astar-Wheel, 29, in a position just above the upperpiston-rod plate, 17. This plate has fixed in it two pins, 30, which asth'e pistons reciprocate act alternately on opposite sides of thestar-wheel 29, and thereby make the spindle rotate step by step.

Two or more double acting cylinders or two or more pairs of singleacting cylinders may be arranged with a single valve operatedsubstantiallyv as hereinbefore described; and such sets of cylinderswith singlevalves may be arranged to be worked with steam or other Huidunder pressure, as motors for lWorking pumps or other reciprocatingapparatus, the power being transmitted by piston-rods ektended thronghstuffing-boxes in the cylinder ends or covers.

What I claim as myinvention is-m 1. A meter or motor consist-ing ofcylinders radiating from a center, pistons working in the cylinders andattached to pistonrod plates formed with rectangular openings, afour-motion valve in the openings of the piston-rod plates and Workingon a port-face, tWo pins fixed on the upper piston-rod plate, and astarwheel acted on by the said two pins and iixed on a spindle ofthelcounting mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

2. A meter or motor having, in combinatio'n, cylinders radiating from acenter, pistons Working in the cylinders and attached to pston-rodplates formed with rectangular openings, and a four-motion'valve in theopenings of the piston-rod plates and working on a port-face in arectangular'path, substantially as and for t-he purposes herein setforth.

3. A four-motion valve for a meter or motor in combination with platesor rods moved by pistons and arrangedv to separately and successivelymove the valve in directions corresponding to the four sides of asquare, sub stantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. A four-motion valve for a meter or motor,

